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Plethora of Evidence Showing Hospital Strike Was Islamic Jihad’s Fault
IDF Tells World: This Is How Islamic Jihad Destroyed the Gaza Hospital: IDF Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Daniel Hagari on Wednesday, October 18, laid out the IDF’s full comprehensive intelligence case to prove that an Islamic Jihad failed rocket caused the damage Tuesday night to a Gaza hospital, leading to a still-unclear, but large, number of Palestinian civilian deaths.
The chief spokesman presented actual audio recordings in which Islamic Jihad members say out loud that they are responsible for the explosion. Hagari also presented a detailed video showing different stages of the rocket’s trajectory and the layout of the hospital being hit.
Next, he said, “At 6:15 p.m., a barrage of rockets was fired by Hamas at Israel. At 6:50 p.m., a barrage of 10 rockets was fired by Islamic jIhad from a nearby cemetery. Further, at 6:59 pm., there were reports of an explosion at the hospital. According to our intelligence, Hamas checked reports, and itself understood that it was an Islamic Jihad rocket misfire and decided to launch a global media campaign to hide what happened.”
Hamas also inflated casualties, he stated. Local Hamas-run Gazan sources allege that 471 people were killed at the hospital; foreign independent intelligence sources claimed instead that the number was closer to 10-50. During an analysis, it was also noted that within about 10 meters of the impact site, cars appeared largely undamaged. Further, according to a British media outlet citing an unclassified US intelligence report released on Thursday, the death toll is estimated to be “probably at the low end of the 100 to 300 spectrum.”
Hagari additionally stated that the PIJ rocket was fired from a nearby cemetery and hit a parking lot next to the hospital which likely had terror munitions and caused further damage. He said there was visual evidence showing infrared imagery of the parking lot. The IDF also confirmed there was no IDF fire by land, sea, or air which could have hit the hospital.
Finally, a rough summary of some of the internal Islamic Jihad conversation included statements such as: “It’s from us?”, “It looks like it!”, “But God bless, it couldn’t have found another place to explode?”, “Nevermind, yes, they shot it from the cemetery behind the hospital”, “They shot it coming from the cemetery behind the Al-Ma’amadani Hospital, and it misfired and fell on them”, “Yes, Al-Ma’amadani is exactly in the compound.” (JPost / VFI News)
“Lord, we pray that You will comfort the families of the innocent people who died in the hospital due to JIP’s misfired rocket. We also pray that You would bring the truth forth and that the world will see that Israel did not strike the hospital. We ask that You would silence the lying tongues and bring justice to those who have caused atrocities among Israeli and Gazan families.”
The articles included in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Vision for Israel. We try to provide accurate reporting on news pertinent to Israel, the Middle East, the diaspora, and Jewish issues around the world—and we hope that you find it both informative and useful for intercessory prayer.
Biden in Israel: Attack on the Hospital Was Not Carried out by Israel: US President Joe Biden on Wednesday, October 18, gave a joint statement to the press together with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Biden said, “Hamas committed atrocities that make ISIS look more rational.” He added, “I was deeply sad and outraged by the explosion at the hospital in Gaza yesterday. And based on what I’ve seen it appears though it was done by the other team, not you.”
“But there’s a lot of people out there who are not sure, so we’re going to overcome a lot of things. And it also means encouraging life-saving capacity to help the Palestinians who are innocent, caught in the middle of this.”
“The world’s looking,” Biden said. “Israel has a value set like the United States does, and other democracies, and they’re looking to see what we’re going to do.” Turning to Netanyahu, Biden added, “I’m very happy to be back in Israel with you, thank you for having me.”
Speaking to the Israeli people, he stressed that, “Their courage, their commitment, their bravery, is stunning, it’s really stunning. I’m proud to be here.”
Later, upon returning to the US, he reiterated in a public address: “Like so many others, I’m heartbroken by the tragic loss of Palestinian life, including the explosion at the hospital in Gaza, which was not done by the Israelis.”
Meanwhile, there are reports that Biden will request as much as 100 billion dollars over the next year, in support of Israel and Ukraine. A renowned British news outlet recently reported that Biden would ask for $14 billion for Israel and $60 billion for Ukraine. (INN / VFI News)
“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.” – Proverbs 17:17
IDF: Hamas Is Using Civilians as Human Shields: The IDF reports that since Hamas’ initial attack on Israel, Hamas has continuously used civilians in the Gaza Strip as human shields, regularly launched barrages of rockets, and used civilian compounds for military purposes.
These rocket launches are carried out from areas adjacent to civilian buildings and compounds such as hospitals, UN schools, mosques, restaurants, diplomatic buildings, and hotels, in some of which they even hide terror munitions.
“The Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist organizations fire rockets indistinctly at Israeli civilians, these rockets have also been causing harm to civilians in the Gaza Strip,” the army’s spokesman emphasized, “Yesterday, there was an increase seen in the number of rockets launched at Israel that fell short and landed in the Gaza Strip.”
“Hamas is continuing to use the residents of the Gaza Strip as human shields, and does not hesitate to risk the lives of Gazan civilians to shield their attacks,” the spokesman concluded.
Meanwhile, various evidence – including a militant video and weapons seized by Israel – show that Hamas has used North Korean weapons since the initial attack against Israel on October 7. One weapon at the center of the controversy, used by Hamas, is the F-7 rocket-propelled grenade, a shoulder-fired weapon that fighters typically use against armored vehicles.
A video of Hamas terrorists using the F-7 rocket launcher has been confirmed through analysis by two experts on North Korean arms and South Korean military intelligence. (INN / VFI News)
“God, we ask that You prevent the terrorists wreaking havoc in our country from acquiring even more weapons and forming additional alliances. We trust that our allies will rise to the occasion, take concrete action, and support us in any way they can. We pray for the cessation of the hostilities and the quick arrest of all terrorists who have acted on their nefarious plans against Israel.”
Iran Warns ‘Time Is Up’ in Ominous Message to Israel as Concerns Mount of A World War III: Iran’s foreign minister warned in an ominous tweet Wednesday morning, October 18, that time is “running out” for Israel following the attack on a hospital in Gaza, as experts grow concerned about a potential third world war.
Hossein Amir-Abdallahian shared the following message, “After the terrible crime of the Zionist regime in the bombing and massacre of more than 1,000 innocent women and children in the hospital, the time has come for the global unity of humanity against this fake regime more hated than ISIS and its killing machine.”
“Time is OVER!” The Iranian Embassy in Syria also tweeted “time is up” in both Hebrew and Arabic. The troubling message came just days after Amir-Abdollahian warned that a regional network of militias dubbed the “axis of resistance” would open “multiple fronts” against Israel if it continued to kill civilians in Gaza.
Further, multiple countries including the US, the UK, Saudi Arabia, Canada, France, Kuwait, Netherlands, Spain, Germany, and Australia have alerted their citizens inside Lebanon that they should immediately evacuate as the Iranian-backed terrorist organization Hezbollah ramps up its attacks on Israel’s northern border.
Israeli officials are concerned that Hezbollah, which is estimated to have approximately 20,000 soldiers, is preparing to launch a full-scale attack on Israel’s northern border. On Monday, the IDF announced that residents of 28 towns along the Israel-Lebanon border needed to evacuate the area. (NYP / VFI News)
“I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war.” – Psalm 120:7
IDF Working on Rescue Ops for Over 200 Israeli Hostages in Gaza: IDF Maj. Gen. (res.) Nitzan Alon said on Thursday, October 19, “All of my soul and brain are committed to this, with hundreds of people. We will not stop for a moment until we find any way possible to return our dear ones to us.”
“Our efforts are complex, difficult, and challenging. It includes intelligence and operational challenges, during which we analyze and extrapolate every piece of information,” said Alon.
The IDF hostage recovery apparatus chief said, “We work with the families, the villages, and the communities. Along with me, there are hundreds of top personnel from the special forces and the entire intelligence and defense community. We are all working diligently day and night.”
Meanwhile, Gershon Baskin, who negotiated a 2011 prisoner swap to release an Israeli soldier from Hamas, urged that “time is running out” to rescue the hostages and explained how nearby nations could help with such efforts.
“There is effective pressure that can be applied on Qatar to tell the Hamas leadership that if they don’t release hostages within 24 hours, the leadership of Hamas should be expelled from Qatar,” he said. Baskin also mentioned Turkey, which is a member of NATO, saying, “Turkey can be influenced by the United States and other NATO allies to apply real pressure on Turkey to force Hamas to release prisoners.”
Currently, the number of estimated kidnapped persons is around 200, the number of children in that group is slightly under 30 and the number of elderly is between 10-20, depending on different definitions. Of those 200, the vast majority have been identified with a high level of intelligence certainty. (JPost /VFI News)
“God, we ask that You help our defense forces find and rescue the hostages who were violently abducted by Hamas at the beginning of the war. We pray for their safe return and we hope that they are persevering amid the chaos. We ask that You assist our leaders in making the right decisions and prioritizing the welfare and safety of all Israeli citizens.”
European Parliament Calls for ‘Elimination’ of Hamas: The European Parliament on Thursday, October 19, condemned Hamas’ despicable terrorist attacks against Israel and also expressed serious concern over the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.
In a non-binding resolution adopted with 500 votes in favor, 21 against, and 24 abstentions, MEPs strongly condemned the brutal attacks, expressed their support to Israel and its people, and underlined the need to “eliminate the terrorist organization Hamas”.
The lawmakers also called for the immediate release of all hostages kidnapped by Hamas and recognized Israel’s right to self-defense “as enshrined in and constrained by international law”. The European Parliament also stressed in the resolution that both the attacks by Hamas and the Israeli response risk reinforcing a cycle of violence in the region.
MEPs therefore called for a “humanitarian pause” of the fighting and stressed that attacking civilians and civilian infrastructure, including UN workers, medical workers, and journalists, is a serious violation of international law.
Additionally, the resolution strongly condemned Iran’s support of Hamas and other terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip. MEPs “reiterate their call to include the entirety of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Lebanese Hezbollah on the EU list of terrorist groups and demand investigations into the role of Iran and countries such as Qatar and Russia in financing and supporting terrorism in the region.”
They also denounced the rocket attacks from Lebanon and Syria into Israel and called for a de-escalation of tensions in eastern Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria. (INN /VFI News)
“One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” – Proverbs 18:24
Three out of Four Americans Support Israel in War Against Hamas – Poll: A majority of American voters support Israel, polling from the immediate aftermath of the October 7 massacre shows. The poll conducted by Quinnipiac University, Connecticut between October 12-16 shows that an overwhelming majority of Americans (76%) agreed that supporting Israel was in the American national interest, while only 17% disagreed.
Americans are largely united in their support of Israel with 84% of Republicans agreeing that supporting Israel was in the American national interest, 76% of Democrats agreeing, and 74% of Independents agreeing. With 12%, 17%, and 19% disagreeing respectively.
In the minority that disagrees are 31 student groups from Harvard University. A letter which was titled “Joint Statement by Harvard Palestine Solidarity Groups on the Situation in Palestine” and signed by these 31 student groups condemned Israel after the unprecedented attack from Hamas earlier this month.
“We, the undersigned student organizations, hold the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence. The apartheid regime is the only one to blame,” the letter read.
Shortly afterward, Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer announced that he and his wife are resigning from the Harvard Kennedy School’s executive board because of “the shocking and insensitive response by the president of the university, who did not condemn the letter.”
On a similar note, another Israeli, Nathalie Sehaik, was recently reported to be operating a factory that produces and donates 10,000 meals a day for IDF soldiers. Furthermore, famous American director Quentin Tarantino traveled to Israel last week to visit with Israeli troops and “boost IDF morale”. (JPost / VFI News)
“Your words have supported those who stumbled; you have strengthened faltering knees.” – Job 4:4
Historic Synagogue in Tunisia Heavily Damaged in Anti-Israel Riots: A historic but defunct synagogue in Tunisia was reduced to rubble on Tuesday, October 17, amid mass rioting after the explosion in a Gazan hospital that Hamas blamed on Israel.
Hundreds of people were filmed setting fire to a synagogue in the central Tunisian city of Al Hammah in the hours after the explosion. Videos that circulated widely on social media showed people planting Palestinian flags and chipping away at the synagogue building’s stone walls, all without any police intervention.
Some users shared the video of the arson alongside a “#Palestine” hashtag. A video taken Wednesday shows heavy damage to the site, including to the fenced-off grave of a 16th-century rabbi that has been a historic pilgrimage site for some Jews.
The incident, which has deprived Al Hammah of a key vestige of its Jewish past, comes amid attacks on other Jewish and Israeli sites around the world — including Germany, France, Portugal, China, and Australia — as Israel retaliates in the Gaza Strip following Hamas’ sweeping, deadly attack on Israel October 7.
The American Jewish Committee denounced the vandalism in a statement and Tunisia’s president, Kais Saied, pledged he would increase security for the country’s Jewish residents.
Tunisia’s small Jewish population of around 1,000 also contended with a deadly terrorist attack earlier this year when a gunman stormed a synagogue on the island of Djerba. Five people died, including two Jewish pilgrims who had traveled to the area from Israel and France, and several others were wounded. (JPost / VFI News)
The suggestions, opinions, and scripture references made by VFI News writers and editors are based on the best information received.
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Batya was born to an orthodox Jerusalem family of Yemenite background. In 1981, Barry made Aliyah from the USA to Jerusalem, serving with Derek and Ruth Prince. Barry met Batya at a Bible study, and they married in 1987. In 1994 they founded Vision for Israel as a charitable organization to help rebuild Israel and give physical and spiritual help to people in distress. The Segals are international speakers, worship leaders and television hosts.
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